I am so happy that I can write about a Rees Jones project after writing so much about Robert Trent Jones and Robert Trent Jones Jr.
The LedgeRock Golf Club in Mohnton, PA was opened in 2006. Since then the Rees Jones designed 18-hole, par 72 golf course did not go through any major renovation.
The newly chosen Head Golf Professional Zach Halvonik will lead the renovation project.
Rees Jones’ design associate Bryce Swanson will direct the renovation measures on site. He explained that tree clearing on 10 got underway in 2018.
During 2019, Jones and his team will concentrate on two holes at LedgeRock — the downhill, par-3 10th and the uphill, par-4 17th — with plans to adjust other holes going forward.
The ground has already been broken this spring on 10; it should open by Memorial Day Weekend.
The plan for 17 calls for construction to be completed in late 2019.
Alan Fitzgerald, the only course superintendent LedgeRock has ever had, will oversee the effort using in-house construction crews.
The changes will be substantial:
- The 10th will be equipped with an array of new tee locations, allowing this single hole to play from as many as six new angles and elevations
. At the somewhat notorious 17th, Jones will soften the club’s most difficult hole.
Bryce Swanson said:
These new tee positions make sense agronomically — more sun, more air movement, spreading the wear and tear around more tees — but they will also create some really cool, new angles of attack…”
I was surprised to discover that they don’t have tennis courts and swimming pools or even gym or spa.
At the same time, the LedgeRock Learning Center was among the first to offer state-of-the-art swing analysis and indoor hitting bays that deploy FlightScope, Boditrak and K-Vest technologies.
LedgeRock Golf Club & the Millennials
Dear LedgeRock Golf Club, the Millennials (cca. 80-95 million people, 30% of the US population) are here as your new generation of potential guests and golf club members.
By 2020, Millennials will have a collective spending power of more than $1.4 trillion.
Fitness and wellness services are/will be essential to attracting Millennials. Golf offers are not enough to convince them.
Millennials love technology, social media and care about the environment and sustainability.
Unlike in many other similar golf business news here I missed how the LedgeRock Golf Club would like to have a sustainable, environment-friendly golf club and golf course operations.
I cannot avoid highlighting the drawbacks of their online communication:
- Although the website is mobile-friendly, the available content is very-very basic. They will lose in the most important ‘micro-moments’ (e.g. I want to know moments; I want to go moments; I want to do moments). This will cause a high churn-rate and losing business opportunities.
- The website is not interactive (e.g. live chat). People want to have direct communication and personal relationships with businesses.
- With the current web design, they will not be able to sell the customer experience that they would like to offer to their guests and members. Let’s not forget that the first impression is crucial!
- Why don’t they have a mobile application that could help their members to have a meaningful and effortless experience in the club? Check out Troon‘s and ClubCorp‘s mobile applications!
I will not ask now what are they doing to provide exceptional employee experience. Or do they understand the connection between employee experience and customer experience?
Photos by Larry Lambrecht